Leicester City

Maresca’s team have now won six of their seven league games to lie second in the embryonic table but they were made to work hard for their success by a home side who had won all their games at Carrow Road before this one.

Kelechi Iheanacho and Kasey McAteer struck for the Foxes.

“I am very pleased with our performance because of the opponents we were up against,” he said.

“I have watched all their games and they usually score goals – 15 I think – so I am very pleased to come away with a win and a clean sheet.

“We had to work very hard for the points – I said to the lads afterwards that you can work on the way you play, the way you defend but you also have to have the desire out there on the pitch.

“The way the team defended was unbelievable, clearing the ball from corners and second and third phase play and that made all the difference tonight.”

Maresca made five changes to the side that won at Southampton last time out, with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among the players left on the bench, and he was delighted with the way the new-look line-up coped.

He said: “It’s a 46-game season and you can’t just rely on a small group of players. You need at least 20 and I want to get them all involved. You can’t just play in every game.

“It was tough because they went man for man, which meant our keeper (Mads Hermansen) saw a lot of the ball and he played an important role for us when we played out, and he also made a great save – I think he is the complete keeper.”

A tight match was settled by late goals in either half, with Leicester getting their noses in front in the 44th minute through Iheanacho’s penalty.

Referee Graham Scott pointed to the spot when Stephy Mavididi went down under a challenge from Christian Fassnacht and Iheanacho did the rest, despite a valiant effort from keeper Angus Gunn.

The Foxes had to withstand plenty of pressure after that, with Hermansen making a terrific reaction save to keep out a close-range header from Shane Duffy and Kenny McLean hitting the underside of the crossbar with a well judged chip.

But a well drilled defence stood firm and Leicester sealed the points in the 87th minute when Dewsbury-Hall squared for an unmarked McAteer to tap home.

Norwich head coach David Wagner felt hard done by afterwards.

“We are obviously disappointed to lose but I am fine with the performance – it was top class,” he said.

“I am unhappy we twice gave the ball away in the lead-up to the penalty but apart from that I am very pleased with the way we played.

“We were the better side in the second half and created three or four very good opportunities but unfortunately we were not clinical enough. The lads battled hard, never gave up and in the end were beaten by a quality side so we move on.

“I think Leicester will finish top this season and the rest of the teams will be battling for the other positions. It’s tough to take but I have every faith in this group of players going forwards.”

Striker Ashley Barnes limped off early in the second half and Wagner added: “It looks like knee ligaments and we will know more after a scan tomorrow. Hopefully it is not too serious but we have strength in depth now which is good.”

Skipper Harry Kane’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months amid Tottenham’s difficulties, and he is not alone.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of those whose club futures may lie elsewhere.

Harry Maguire

Manchester United defender Maguire has been one of Southgate’s most dependable performers in recent campaigns, but has slipped painfully down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag and has been warned his international place could be under threat. The 30-year-old, who cost United £80million when he joined them from Leicester in August 2019, has been linked with West Ham, but also with a loan move to Italy with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma said to be eyeing his situation.

Harry Kane

Kane and Tottenham both have big decisions to make this summer after the club missed out on European football. The 29-year-old will enter the final year of his current contract and if he does not sign an extension, could leave for free in 12 months’ time. Manchester United are long-term admirers of the free-scoring striker – although it has been suggested Spurs would be unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival – while both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have been credited with an interest.

Mason Mount

Midfielder Mount was caught up in the malaise which engulfed Chelsea during a chaotic season and six of his last seven appearances before injury ended his campaign prematurely came from the bench. The 24-year-old is out of contract next summer and new boss Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make with Manchester United leading a posse of interested parties waiting in the wings.

Declan Rice

Rice’s reputation has continued to blossom despite what at times has been a difficult season for West Ham, and manager David Moyes is bracing himself. Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been linked with a summer move for the 24-year-old midfielder, with Manchester United and Chelsea also touted as possible destinations, while resurgent Newcastle could offer him Champions League football, but know they may not be able to compete financially as they attempt to comply with spending rules.

James Maddison

Maddison, another player with 12 months remaining on his contract, seemed destined to leave Leicester during the close season regardless of whether or not the Foxes retained their Premier League status. Newcastle pursued the 26-year-old playmaker doggedly last summed and remain keen on him as they strengthen for a European campaign, but they are likely to face competition with Manchester United and Tottenham rumoured to be among his suitors.

Jude Bellingham

Liverpool’s interest in Borussia Dortmund teenager Bellingham is long-standing, but reports from Spain have suggested his future could lie instead with Real Madrid. Manchester City and neighbours United have also been touted as potential buyers with the 19-year-old former Birmingham midfielder one of the hottest properties in European football.

Leicester forward Stephy Mavididi was booked after climbing an advertising hoarding and goading Blues supporters in the Tilton End behind the goal at St. Andrew’s.

“There’s emotion in the game and players celebrate – I got a mobile phone thrown at me at Anfield, so players have their reasons,” said Rooney.

“Of course you want players to be respectful of the fans and I’m sure I’ll have one of my players do something to upset away fans.

“It’s good that they can celebrate – I don’t mean against us, but I was listening to the Chelsea game on the radio driving home the other day and a goal went in but no one celebrated because they were waiting for VAR to check it.

“It’s good they can look across and see they are onside and celebrate their goals.”

Rooney admitted Birmingham were “naive”, adding: “For 30 minutes we were really good – we pressed them really well and created chances.

“But we were naive for their first two goals and we allowed them to control the last 10 minutes of the first half.”

Leicester took the lead from a speedy breakaway from a Birmingham corner in the 10th minute.

Abdul Fatawu sped away and squared to Mavididi to dink over goalkeeper John Ruddy.

Jordan James levelled after 15 minutes, finding the bottom corner with a low shot after Siriki Dembele squared to Ivan Sunjic, who supplied the final pass.

Leicester regained the lead after 22 minutes when Ricardo Pereira dispossessed Juninho Bacuna and Fatawu again raced goalwards, releasing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to round Ruddy and slot home.

Mavidivi made it 3-1 in the 50th minute when his curling shot from 15 yards took a slight deflection and flew past Ruddy, before James’ shot deflected in off Jannik Vestergaard for 3-2 after 74 minutes.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca admitted his team “don’t like” counter-attacking, despite scoring their first two goals from breaks.

“We don’t like counter-attacking but sometimes you need to use it,” he said. “We plan the game, but it depends on how the opponent tries to defend against us.

“We struggled for the first 15-20 minutes then we were completely in control, creating chances.

“But when you don’t take your chances, the opponent is there waiting, so they scored their second goal.

“Even after that, I liked the way the team behaved all together so I’m very happy.”

Speaking at a news conference ahead of this weekend's scheduled Premier League match against Watford, Rodgers explained the club had acted as a precaution against the potential spread of COVID-19.

"We've had a few players that have shown symptoms and signs [of the coronavirus]," Rodgers told the media on Thursday.

"We've followed procedures and [as a precaution] they have been kept away from the squad.

"Working in football, it's about having that agility to move with what’s happening in football. We're guided by football and federations. We have to press on with our work and prepare as normal."

Shaw scored in the 46^th, 62^nd and 85^th minutes as Manchester City ran out 6-0 winners over Leicester City. Vicky Losada (53^rd), Alex Greenwood (71^st) and Filippa Angeldhal (87^th) were the other scorers in the rout that marked a return to winning ways for the Garth-Taylor coached side.

"It's a wonderful feeling," said Shaw, who was scoring for the first time on her home ground after signing in the summer from Bordeaux. "It's always good to score goals and help the team. I'm here to help the team in any way possible. I'm here to win trophies and you have to win games first and foremost.”

She said she has been working on certain aspects of her game that she believes will help her become even better at what she does best; scoring goals.

"It's one of the things I've been trying to work on: getting in the right positions and timing it right for when the ball comes,” she said. "When you practice and it happens on the pitch, you're happy because it's something you've practised before. I have to give my team credit because they played me some wonderful balls.

"It's a team effort. I'm scoring the goals but if it wasn't for my team, it wouldn't be possible. As long as I'm getting the balls in the right positions to help the team, you can see more.”

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Justin were on target with strikes that were as pure as Leicester’s command was total.

This was Leicester’s 20th win from 25 league games as the Foxes continue to hunt down Reading’s record Championship points total of 106 set in the 2005-06 season.

Enzo Maresca’s side were unruffled to complete a season’s double over their Cardiff hosts, who harbour play-off hopes but have now only won once in six home games.

Some eyebrows were raised that both sides chose to wear shirts with different forms of blue as the main colour, but it was not overly difficult to decipher who was who for large parts – Leicester were the team with the ball.

The visitors’ possession game split open the Cardiff defence after 14 minutes as Leicester moved the ball one way and then the other.

Jannik Vestergaard found Abdul Fatawu on the right and his cross found the unmarked Dewsbury-Hall with the goal at his mercy.

But Jak Alnwick sprang superbly to his right and kept out Dewsbury-Hall’s header.

Cardiff’s defence, however, were breached within four minutes as Joe Ralls was caught out by Leicester’s high press.

The Bluebirds captain lost possession and Dewsbury-Hall made no mistake this time, by arrowing home a low shot for his eighth league goal of the season.

Leicester were superbly drilled, rarely losing the ball but when doing so rushing around the Cardiff player in possession to win it back.

The Foxes went close again when Stephy Mavididi’s cross made its way to the back post but the bounce deceived Fatawu, who sent his header over.

Cardiff striker Karlan Grant limped off just before the break and his departure coincided with the Bluebirds’ best period.

Ralls twice had efforts blocked by Wout Faes and Kion Etete lacking composure at the final moment.

Leicester got the breathing space their performance deserved after 54 minues, Fatawu setting up full-back Justin for a 25-yard spectacular that flew over the head of Alnwick and into the top corner.

A rare goalscorer, it must surely rank as among the finest of Justin’s career.

Wilfred Ndidi almost put his name on the scoresheet immediately but Dimitrios Goutas’ timely block saved the beaten Alnwick.

Cardiff forced a first save from Mads Hermansen after 64 minutes, but the Leicester goalkeeper comfortably held Manolis Siopis’ low drive.

Fatawu almost matched the purity of Justin’s strike when cutting inside on his left foot from 25 yards.

The ball crashed against the far post with Patson Daka shooting over with Alnwick prostrate on the floor.

Mavididi also hit the woodwork in the closing stages as Leicester stretched their unbeaten run consisting of seven wins and two draws from nine games.

Leaders Ipswich, second-placed Leicester and Leeds in third are separated by just two points with the Foxes having played a game fewer, while Southampton, who have two matches in hand on both the Tractor Boys and United, lie six points further back.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the remaining weeks of an increasingly tense Championship run-in.

Ipswich (1st, played 43, 89 points, +32 goal difference)

Run-in: Hull (a), Coventry (a), Huddersfield (h).

Ipswich’s unlikely tilt at back-to-back promotions has hit the buffers in recent weeks after a remarkable run of nine wins in 10 Championship outings was brought to an end by derby rivals Norwich.

A 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road on April 6 has been followed by home draws with Watford and Middlesbrough and Town must rediscover the form which earned manager Kieran McKenna the accolade of Championship Manager of the Season on Sunday evening if they are to reach the top flight.

However, all three of their remaining opponents still have something to play for with Hull and Coventry on the fringes of the play-off race and Huddersfield battling desperately to avoid the drop.

Leicester (2nd, played 42, 88 points, +41 goal difference)

Run-in: West Brom (h), Southampton (h), Preston (a), Blackburn (h).

Once seemingly certain to return to the top flight after a single season in the wilderness – Enzo Maresca’s side were 17 points clear of Leeds – Leicester have suffered a crisis of confidence just at the wrong time.

A 2-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough on February 17 launched a run of 10 league games culminating in Friday night’s 1-0 reverse at Plymouth which has seen them lose six times and collect just 10 of the 30 points available.

Their fate, however, remains in their own hands and with three of their last four fixtures taking place at the King Power Stadium – perhaps the most significant of them Saints’ visit next week – they will hope they can make home advantage count.

Leeds (3rd, played 43, 87 points, +42 goal difference)

Run-in: Middlesbrough (a), QPR (a), Southampton (h).

Like the two clubs immediately above them in the table, Leeds have suffered a wobble at the most inopportune moment.

The 2-1 defeat at Coventry on April 6 was their first in the league since the turn of the year and having seen Sunderland leave Elland Road with a point three days later, Daniel Farke’s men lost on home soil for the first time this season on Saturday when Sammie Szmodics fired Blackburn to victory in West Yorkshire.

Monday’s trip to Middlesbrough is followed by another away fixture at QPR before Southampton head north for a final-day clash which could have a major say in the promotion race.

Southampton (played 41, 81 points, +27 goal difference)

Run-in: Preston (h), Cardiff (a), Leicester (a), Stoke (h), Leeds (a).

Southampton’s bad patch arrived in February, when they lost to Bristol City, Hull and Millwall either side of a 2-0 success at West Brom in the space of 12 days.

A run of four wins and only one defeat in their last seven games, including Saturday’s last-gasp 3-2 victory over Watford, has edged them back into the hunt, but points on the board in the latter stages of a season are precious and Saints are playing catch-up.

Russell Martin’s men face difficult trips to Leicester and Leeds, but their cause will be forlorn if they slip up in theoretically less taxing encounters with Preston, Cardiff and Stoke.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in the ATP Tour being suspended for six weeks, while the PGA Tour will be played behind closed doors until April 5.

Football in Spain, the Netherlands, the United States and Portugal has been put on hiatus, while Champions League games between Manchester City and Real Madrid, and Juventus and Lyon have been postponed.

A second Serie A player has been confirmed to have contracted coronavirus, while the Utah Jazz announced a second positive test for COVID-19. Donovan Mitchell confirmed he was the latest individual with the infection, while Rudy Gobert is reported to be the other.

We look at the biggest events to have been impacted by the proliferation of the virus.

 

A six-week suspension was implemented by the ATP Tour, which it said came in the wake of the World Health Organization declaring the spread of COVID-19 constituted a pandemic and 30-day travel restrictions imposed by the United States.

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: "This is not a decision that was taken lightly and it represents a great loss for our tournaments, players, and fans worldwide. However, we believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic."

The WTA Tour was yet to follow suit, but the Miami Open has been scratched from its schedule after a state of emergency was declared in Miami-Dade County.

Following the news that LaLiga had suspended its next two matchdays and Real Madrid had established a self-imposed quarantine in the wake of one of their basketball players testing positive for COVID-19, Los Blancos' Champions League last-16 second leg against Manchester City on Tuesday was postponed.

The meeting between Juventus and Lyon has also been pushed back after Daniele Rugani was confirmed to have contracted coronavirus and the Serie A champions implemented isolation procedures.

UEFA will hold a videoconference with European football stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss the response to the outbreak. The talks will include all domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has requested its Euro 2020 play-off against Northern Ireland on March 26 be postponed, while Denmark expects its friendly against England five days later to be cancelled.

One game that has been cancelled is Wales' friendly against the United States on March 30.

Sampdoria announced Manolo Gabbiadini was the second professional Serie A player to test positive. The club said he had "a slight fever, but is otherwise fine". On Sunday Gabbiadini played 61 minutes against Hellas Verona, who also activated isolation procedures as a result.

Hannover confirmed a second case of coronavirus in their squad, with Jannes Horn following Timo Hubers in testing positive. All players from the German team will be under home quarantine for the next 14 days, with the club asking for their upcoming 2.Bundesliga games against Dynamo Dresden and Osnabruck to be called off.

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers revealed three of his players have shown symptoms of coronavirus and have been isolated from their team-mates. Stats Perform understands all players put into isolation have only displayed mild symptoms, meaning they have not met the threshold to be tested for the virus.

In the Netherlands, all football has been cancelled until March 31. This includes amateur and professional games, as well as the national team's fixtures against the USA and Spain.

Portugal's Primeira Liga and the CONCACAF Champions League have been postponed for an indefinite period, while MLS has been suspended for the next 30 days.

Elsewhere in the USA, the NHL season has been paused. Comissioner Gary Bettman said: "Following last night's news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus - and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point - it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time."

The PGA Tourwill continue as scheduled, though fans will be barred from attending events starting from Friday at the Players Championship until the Texas Open, which finishes on April 5.

However, the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship has been cancelled due to potential logistical issues associated with players and staff travelling internationally.

The Washington Wizards have imposed self-isolation on players, coaches and basketball operations personnel for three to four days. The Wizards played the Jazz – who have confirmed two cases of coronavirus among their roster – on February 29 and the New York Knicks on March 10. The Knicks had a game with Utah six days before the Wizards did.

The Jazz's second positive test came after their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday was called off. Mitchell said on Instagram: "Thanks to everyone who has been reaching out since hearing the news about my positive test. We are all learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realise that they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and for the well being of those around them."

After the NCAA announced no fans would be permitted at March Madness, the American, Atlantic 10, C-USA, MAC, America East, Big East, Big Sky and WAC announced their conference tournaments had been cancelled.

The Washington Redskins became the first NFL team to announce a change in protocol in relation to the coronavirus. Redskins owner Dan Snyder said: "Due to health and travel concerns surrounding COVID-19, Redskins have informed all coaches and scouts to suspend all travel until further notice."

Promoters Top Rank have confirmed their upcoming boxing shows at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden will go ahead behind closed doors.

Shakur Stevenson is scheduled to defend his WBO featherweight world title against Miguel Marriaga in the main event on Friday's card in New York, while Michael Conlan headlines next Tuesday when he takes on Belmar Preciado in a 10-round contest.

The remaining two ODIs between India and South Africa will also be played behind closed doors, the International Cricket Council announced. There will also be no fans at Pakistan Super League games in Karachi.

In rugby union, the Pro14 has been indefinitely suspended. A statement said: "Resumption of the 2019-20 season will now become a matter of constant review. To this point Pro14 Rugby has ensured that it has the latest information and guidance made available by the local and national authorities via our participating unions in the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa."

However, the quarter-finals in the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup remain set to go ahead as planned.

The next two NASCAR events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway over the next two weekends will be undertaken behind closed doors.

Decisions made by UEFA and CONMEBOL to push back Euro 2020 and the Copa America until 2021 opened the door for domestic competition to continue longer than initially planned.

Upon announcing a four-week extension to the initially planned hiatus on Thursday, the Football Association (FA) revealed it would allow its leagues to continue beyond the June 1 deadline set out in its regulations.

The eventual run-in could prove to be heavily congested. Some Premier League teams are still competing on three fronts, others possess a game in hand, while UEFA is still hoping for a round of international matches in June.

If no games are cut out, we look at how the calendar for English teams could hypothetically shape up if competitions across Europe were able to resume following April 30.

 

May 2/3 - Matchday 30

May 7 - Postponed Europa League last-16 first legs and unplayed matchday 29 games

May 9/10 - Matchday 31

May 12/13/14 - FA Cup quarter-finals

May 16/17 - Matchday 32

May 19/20/21 - Champions League and Europa League last-16 second legs

May 23/24 - Matchday 33

May 26/27/28 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final first legs

May 30/31 - Matchday 34

June 2/3/4 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final second legs

June 6/7 - Matchday 35

June 13/14 - International week

June 20/21 - Matchday 36

June 23/24/25 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final first legs

June 27/28 - Matchday 37

June 30/July 1/2 - FA Cup semi-finals

July 4 - Matchday 38

July 7/8/9 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final second legs

July 11 - FA Cup final

July 15 - Europa League final

July 18 - Champions League final

Speaking at a news conference ahead of this weekend's scheduled Premier League match against Watford, Rodgers explained the club had acted as a precaution against the potential spread of COVID-19.

"We've had a few players that have shown symptoms and signs [of the coronavirus]," Rodgers told the media on Thursday.

"We've followed procedures and [as a precaution] they have been kept away from the squad.

"Working in football, it's about having that agility to move with what’s happening in football. We're guided by football and federations. We have to press on with our work and prepare as normal."

In a subsequent statement, the club said: "Leicester City Football Club can confirm that, as a precautionary measure, three members of its first team squad have undertaken a period of self-isolation following recent medical advice.

"In recent days, all three players presented with extremely mild illness and were advised by club medical staff, consistent with current government guidance, to stay home and contact the NHS 111 service.

"All three players were subsequently advised by NHS 111 that their symptoms were consistent with common seasonal illness and that a seven-day period of self-isolation was appropriate as a precaution.

"There was no recommendation that further testing would be necessary. The club is in regular contact with the relevant players, whose symptoms remain mild and self-manageable.

"In the current medical climate, the club is acutely aware of its responsibilities to all of its employees and has issued extensive internal advice consistent with current recommendations from the government and medical professionals on COVID-19 (coronavirus).

"All staff experiencing moderate symptoms of ill-health have been advised to stay at home, to contact NHS 111 and to follow their recommended advice."

Rodgers is hopeful Saturday's trip to Vicarage Road goes ahead as planned but is not a fan of matches being staged behind closed doors.

"It would be a shame [if the Watford game were to be postponed], but the public's health is the most important in all of this," he said.

"The game is all about the players and the fans and if you have one of those not there, it's obviously not the same."

Rodgers also confirmed right-back Ricardo Pereira will face around six months on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, while playmaker James Maddison is also out with a calf problem.

Leicester lie third in the Premier League with nine games of the season remaining.

 

Sporting events and competitions across the globe have been either postponed or cancelled altogether as governments and organisations attempt to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Thursday the British government would not yet be cancelling large-scale public events, though that is subject to change.

Following this announcement, the Premier League – now the only major European league not to either postpone entire rounds of fixtures or play matches behind closed doors – confirmed this weekend's round of fixtures would go ahead.

The Merseyside derby is among the latest round of games, with Liverpool just two wins away from clinching a first league title since 1990.

"Following the latest update from government issued this afternoon, all Premier League matches will go ahead as scheduled this weekend," a statement on the league's official website read.

"While the prime minister advised that all sporting events should take place as normal for now, he also indicated that government is considering banning major public events, like sporting fixtures.

"We are therefore continuing to work closely with our clubs, government, The FA, EFL and other relevant stakeholders to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place as and when circumstances change. 

"The welfare of players, staff and supporters is of paramount importance and we will continue to follow Public Health England guidelines thoroughly."

Shortly after the statement was released, Arsenal confirmed head coach Mikel Arteta had tested positive for coronavirus.

Arsenal's London Colney training centre was closed, with Arteta the first confirmed case in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Manchester City player – reported to be Benjamin Mendy – is self-isolating after a member of their family fell ill and was tested.

Brendan Rodgers earlier confirmed three Leicester City players had also self-isolated after showing coronavirus symptoms.

The English Football League has also confirmed matches will continue to take place until it is advised otherwise.

The Premier League announced the results after 748 tests were administered across Sunday and Monday.

Those who were positive have been ordered to self-isolate for a week.

A statement read: "The Premier League can today confirm that, on Sunday May 17 and Monday May 18, 748 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19.

"Of these, six have tested positive from three clubs.

"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days. 

"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and oversight.

"No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the Premier League due to legal and operational requirements."

The Premier League, like most major sporting competitions across the globe, has been on hiatus since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A decision to suspend the competition was taken after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi were both found to have contracted COVID-19.

The Bundesliga became the first major European league to resume action at the weekend, while Premier League clubs have voted to return to training in small groups without contact work from Tuesday, despite reports over conflicts of interest among the 20 teams on aspects to do with 'Project Restart'. 

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said on Monday there was flexibility on the June 12 target for fixtures to be played. 

Connor Roberts, Archie Gray and Patrick Bamford all struck for Leeds in the final 10 minutes after Wout Faes’ first-half header had given Championship leaders Leicester a deserved lead.

Farke’s side equalled a 92-year club record of nine straight league wins and extended their unbeaten run at Elland Road this season, while the German is the first Leeds manager to remain undefeated in his first 19 home games in charge.

The former Norwich boss, whose side have cut the gap on Leicester to six points after trailing them by 17 at the turn of the year, said: “It’s a great evening for everyone connected with Leeds United.

“To be there with a ninth win in a row, unbeaten here at Elland Road (this season) – there are many record-breaking statistics.

“But even more important is the feeling and the spirit. You could feel it in the celebrations of the whole stadium.

“You could see what it means to everyone connected with this club after some really tough years, many disappointments and days of suffering.

“To experience such a period when you feel everything is really united here – players, staff, supporters, the whole club.

“We’re delivering such performances and such results. It’s great and I’m delighted for our supporters. They can enjoy their weekend in a proper way, that’s for sure.”

Leicester had been good value for their slender lead after Faes headed in from a corner but were punished for some glaring misses and slipped to back-to-back league defeats.

Jannik Vestergaard’s second-half header went within a whisker of giving the Foxes a 2-0 lead when it hit a post and Patson Daka had an effort wrongly ruled out for offside.

Stephy Mavididi fired a fraction wide and Daka pulled another golden chance off target.

On the disallowed goal, Leicester boss Enzo Maresca said: “I didn’t watch to be honest, so I can’t say anything.

“But until the goal we conceded in the 80th minute, we dominated and controlled the game.

“We created many chances and at the end it was a matter of the chances that we missed.”

The Italian admitted his players reacted badly to conceding Leeds substitute Roberts’ equaliser.

“In the last 10 minutes, in this kind of game in this stadium, it’s easy when you concede a goal that you drop a little or mentally they are better than us,” he added.

“We feel bad because we dropped points, but at the same I feel very proud because we came here with the personality we showed.”

Georginio Rutter’s 57th-minute goal was enough to make sure Leeds closed in on Ipswich in second place, and condemn Leicester to their second home defeat of the season.

Farke praised an impressive display from Leeds, who took the game to Leicester early on and produced what was a statement win at the King Power Stadium.

“We were brave and went for it with courage as a side who have been unbeaten for so long,” said the Leeds manager.

“It was a complex performance on the field, but we stayed disciplined and kept them to areas where they couldn’t hurt us. I believed in my players and that they could dominate the game.

“You could see the goal coming in the second half, it was a deserved win, we had the better chances.

“The only thing Georginio needed to improve was his goal tally. This was a decisive goal and a sign of quality.”

Farke highlighted the fact that Leeds’ players celebrated with goalkeeper Illan Meslier after the game.

The Frenchman produced a superb save to keep out a stoppage-time header from Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

“If you want to achieve something special, you need unity,” added the German coach. “That is why the players celebrated Illan’s save. He is a diamond, if he continues to produce performances like this we are definitely on the right path, I think he is the best keeper in the league.

“I also felt that Glen Kamara had his best game in a white shirt.

“For us at the moment, the table is not important. Whatever the outcome here, everything would be possible for both sides. But it was a massive three points for us, a great boost. It was a good night for us.

“But Leicester are such a good side, I’m sure at the end of the season they’ll be in a top position.”

Farke admitted he was “disappointed” to be shown a yellow card for protesting against referee Dean Whitestone’s decision to wave away appeals after Crysencio Summerville went down under pressure from Ricardo Pereira.

“It was only my second yellow card in over 200 games in English football,” he said. “I was a bit disappointed, for me it was definitely a foul. Was it a penalty or a free-kick and a red card.  He didn’t whistle anything, it was a decisive moment.”

Leicester had been aiming for a  10th successive win, but they remain 11 points clear of Leeds in third spot.

Abdul Fatawu hit the crossbar in the first half, but Leicester managed only one effort on target during the game.

“I’m happy with the performance, we expected this match in terms of intensity,” said Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.

“They are a very good team, dangerous and good technically. We cannot win all the games. Overall I am happy, defeat is part of the process. It’s a case of what we can do better, and for sure, we can do some things better.

“I felt we deserved something more from the game.”

Maresca said he felt that, while Leeds took the three points, it had been Sunderland in the previous home game that had offered more in the way of tempo.

“Sunderland were more aggressive and more consistent,” said the Italian. “They started in minute one and finished in minute 95.

“Leeds started with intensity in the first half, and they dropped in the last minutes. We were in control for the last half hour. For me, the team that showed more intensity was Sunderland.”

Emerson Royal, Ilaix Moriba and Rey Manaj were allowed to leave Camp Nou on Tuesday.

Leicester City were also busy with one in and one out, while a young Frenchman (no, not that one) has joined Real Madrid.

Here is a round-up of some of the deadline-day deals, and what could be coming in the closing hours...
 

A new Royal rocks up in London

Talks had been ongoing over the past few days between Tottenham and Barca for full-back Emerson, who only arrived at Camp Nou earlier in the window after impressing at Real Betis.

The right-back has joined Spurs for a £21.5million (€25m) fee, with his arrival likely to push Serge Aurier closer to the exit door.

Could Aurier end up at a Premier League rival? Everton appear to be in need of a right-back with Ainsley Maitland-Niles set to stay at Arsenal.

Back at Barca, they have sold midfielder Ilaix Moriba to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, who have paid €16m plus €6m in add-ons for the teenager. Manaj, meanwhile, has joined Italian side Spezia on loan.

Paris Saint-Germain have been at the centre of one of the biggest stories over recent days, but it looks like Kylian Mbappe will be staying put.

Indeed, the France star seems set to have a new team-mate in the capital, with Sporting CP full-back Nuno Mendes said to be nearing a €40m move. Pablo Sarabia may head the other way.

While they may have missed out on Mbappe, Madriddid complete a deal for another France international in Eduardo Camavinga, who has signed a six-year contract following a transfer from Rennes.

Better call Saul?

Chelsea have been chasing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde but the European champions have instead lined up another LaLiga player to boost their squad, with Atletico Madrid's Saul reportedly set to arrive on loan.

One outgoing at Chelsea was Ethan Ampadu, with the youngster signing a new contract before heading out on loan to newly promoted Serie A side Venezia.

Another Premier League club busy as the deadline approached were Leicester, drafting in Ademola Lookman on loan from Leipzig. The winger impressed with Fulham last term. Dennis Praet, meanwhile, has left to return to Serie A, joining Torino on loan for the season.

After the Cristiano Ronaldo deal was confirmed by Manchester United, the Red Devils decreased the logjam for starting spots in the forward line by allowing Dan James to depart for Leeds United - the club he so nearly joined previously, only for the deal to fall through.

Liverpool have been more focused on tying down current members of their squad than bringing in new faces; they have handed young defender Rhys Williams a new deal, with the centre-back then joining Swansea City on loan. Nathaniel Phillips has also extended his contract, though looks set to stay at Anfield for now.

Burnleyhave signed full-back Connor Roberts from the Swans, while Everton are expected to complete the signing of Salomon Rondon as a replacement for Moise Kean, whose move to Juventus was confirmed earlier in the day.

Arsenal have supposedly agreed a deal with Bologna for defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.The move would seemingly offset the loss of Hector Bellerin, who is said to be close to switching to Real Betis. Reiss Nelson has already left the Gunners, heading out to Feyenoordon loan. 

The transfer windows in Italy and Germany have already shut, meaning Juve, Inter, Milan, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have all concluded their business.

The Foxes go to Newcastle on Monday two points from safety ahead of the weekend’s Premier League games.

If Everton beat Wolves and Nottingham Forest avoid defeat against Arsenal on Saturday, Leicester will need to win at St James’ Park or they will go down.

But Smith has no doubts over the unity in the dressing room as the Foxes battle on.

He said: “I have seen that. From the moment I came in, when I addressed them, their feedback, what they give.

“They’re not all going to be bosom buddies but that’s not been the case at any club I’ve been at, where the players have all been friends.

“But what you have to be is the best team-mate you can. They’re disappointed because of where they are in the league but they’re united.”

Smith has won one of his six games since replacing Brendan Rodgers last month but Monday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool – two years to the day since they won the FA Cup – left the Foxes on the brink of the drop.

Defeats to Aston Villa and Bournemouth before Smith arrived damaged their survival hopes in April but the boss feels his players have improved, despite individual errors costing them.

“I don’t think it’s been like the Bournemouth game (a 1-0 defeat). I watched it on TV and it looked like players had lost confidence, lost belief, looked lethargic,” he said.

“I don’t think we’ve had that since I’ve been here. I haven’t seen that. I haven’t seen lethargy in performances. I’ve seen players working hard but probably the thing we haven’t erased as much as we’d like is the individual mistakes.”

The former Manchester City coach was satisfied with the result, which saw Dewsbury-Hall score twice in 10 minutes late on to seal victory after Coventry captain Kyle McFadzean had put Mark Robins’ side ahead early in the second half.

Maresca revealed he had urged Dewsbury-Hall to get into the opponents’ area more.

The 24-year-old midfielder only scored twice as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League last season.

The result was a headed equaliser and a spectacular winner with three minutes to go.

Maresca said: “At the beginning when I came in, I checked the numbers of the players and I told him he has better quality to be able to score more and make more assists.

“The only way to do it is to arrive more often in the box. Kiernan scored here because he was there in the area.

“We are happy because he scored and we won and that’s the most important thing.”

Maresca also pointed to the fact that his team maintained momentum until the latter stages, despite Coventry’s constant threat.

The Italian coach said: “I told the players that Coventry was a team that almost won promotion in May. We needed to be mentally strong.

“So to be 1-0 down and then win the game, the guys showed a lot of great effort.

“We conceded a lot of goals from set pieces last season, I knew this before I came. We conceded again here and it was not easy to come back for us.”

Asked if he was concerned about the number of chances Coventry created, Maresca responded: ‘I’m always concerned. The feeling of winning was unbelievable, but we have to improve.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins predicted that Dewsbury-Hall will will be one of the top players in the Championship this season.

But he admitted there was a feeling of what might have been had his side taken more than one chance after creating so many openings.

Robins said: “If we’d taken one more, we might have won by two or three. We’re trying to be on the front foot and carrying a threat is something that’s really important to us.

“We had chances to score, but such is life, we’ve not taken them.

“I think Dewsbury-Hall is going to be one of the best players at this level. Someone also told me Leicester had £100million worth of talent on the bench – which is nice.

“It’s always disappointing to lose especially from a winning position but when you look at the quality of Leicester, there’s a lot of Manchester City in the movements.”

Maresca’s side had to come from a goal down before making sure of a result which put them back on top of the table before the evening fixtures.

Leicester gifted Norwich’s Gabriel Sara the opening goal from a corner, before responding with goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Jamie Vardy, a 77th-minute substitute.

Maresca’s relief came after a poor six-game run and he said: “It was especially for the moment, because for different reasons, we didn’t win so many games.

“So this was important, because we are in the final part of the season. But then we started by conceding a goal, and 1-0 down from a corner, we needed to be mentally strong.

“But after that, the game was completely in our control, we dominated.

“Probably in the last six games, we won one game and it was the one we didn’t deserve – Sunderland.

“We lost four games, and not one of them we deserved to lose.

“At the end, we are human beings – we have emotions so when we scored the last one with Jamie, the game was finished, so we were all happy and we enjoyed the moment.”

Maresca called for unity from the supporters in his programme notes, and he made it clear his style of football would not be changing, even though Leicester’s promotion credentials have been called into question.

The Italian coach added: “I think the fans were there, we tried to make them happy by winning the game. I can understand that, for them, it’s the only thing that matters

“But I know that sometimes they want us to attack, and be more direct, but it’s never going to happen while I’m here.”

Norwich manager David Wagner accepted that his side’s performance was not good enough as they chase a play-off place.

Wagner’s side’s form in their previous six games had only been bettered by Ipswich and Leeds.

But the German coach said: “We’re better than what we showed here. This is disappointing, but it can happen.

“I’ll quickly put this to bed because we’ll speak about the truth. I have so much trust and belief in the guys, I know they’ll have the biggest fire in their belly for the Ipswich game.

“The positives were that we scored a super set-piece goal, so credit to our set-piece department for that.

“But I felt we were well organised until their second goal. In ball possession though, we were below par. We’ve been better in recent weeks, but that doesn’t mean we should automatically have won the game.

“We not good enough to get some points out of this game. So we’ll work on it and analyse it.

“It was very clear that too many individuals did not do what they are capable of doing. But they are humans and for us to make sure that everybody is on the same page and our demands are higher than what we showed here.”

The Foxes had 21 shots on goal, but still suffered their first defeat of the season.

A 15th-minute goal from Liam Delap proved enough to give Liam Rosenior’s team victory.

Maresca felt Leicester should have made more of the game, but in the end, they only had one shot on target.

However, he said there was “no drama” following a result which saw Leicester knocked off the top of the table.

“We cannot think we’re not going to lose a single game this season,” said Maresca. “We’ve played seven matches so far, and you’d said to me at the start that we’re going to win six and lose one, I’d have accepted it.

“But we need to judge results, we probably deserved something more but it didn’t happen. So we keep going, it’s not a drama.

“We probably needed to be a bit more clinical when you shoot more than 20 times. But we started in the right way before they scored.

“Then we lost a little bit of control. In the second half, we were aggressive and in control. But sometimes this can happen. In the second half, there is nothing to say other then we needed to score.”

Hull manager Liam Rosenior said he would still have been “proud” of his side’s display even if they had conceded late on.

He said: “We came here with bravery, we were fearless and we wanted to play our way. We changed our press because Leicester are an outstanding team. But at the end, we were throwing our bodies on the line. We didn’t want Leicester to have any rhythm.”

Rosenior highlighted the performance of defender Alfie Jones as Hull frustrated Leicester.

“For a centre half to be asked to play against Kelechi Iheanacho one for one on the back line, he was immense, I don’t normally single out players, but his performance was everything I want from a centre half,” said the Hull manager.

“He was magnificent and it was a joy to watch him.”

But Rosenior also praised Delap for his second goal of the season.

He added: “He’s scaring the life out of defenders at the moment, I said it when we signed him, I think he suits this style of play.

“For me, he’s enjoying it here, he’s got so much work to do and there’s so much room for improvement in his game. But his physical attributes and his technical stuff is absolutely top. I’m so delighted he’s with us.

“I think we earned the result. When you come away from home, you don’t expect to get the rub of the green, but I felt a lot more decisions went Leicester’s way than maybe they should’ve done.

“We were better here with the ball, this result leaves us with in a really good place, we have aims and ambitions this season, but there’s a long way to go.”

The Foxes opened the scoring on the hour mark when Patson Daka finished from close range before the striker doubled the lead from the penalty spot five minutes later after he was fouled by Viktor Johansson.

On-loan midfielder Cesare Casadei sealed the points after 72 minutes with a diving header from Ricardo Pereira’s cross from the left to earn the Foxes a fifth successive league victory.

Maresca said: “I’m very happy, at the start of the season I didn’t expect to have this many points at the halfway stage, nobody expected that.

“Winning 19 out of 23 games is not easy but we have many things that we need to improve.

“We are learning how to play teams who sit and who play with a high press, it’s not easy. I was happy with the first half because we were doing the right things.

“We created three or four clear chances in the first half which is difficult against this type of team, when they sit back it’s complicated to find a solution.

“In the end we did the most difficult thing and scored a goal and it was easier after the goal.

“The target is to get promoted, we need to continue, we are almost in January, the players know if some of them drop (their levels) they won’t play.”

Rotherham are nine points from safety at the foot of the table and have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches having lost all three games under new boss Leam Richardson.

Richardson said: “It’s a challenging league and a challenging position that we’re in but one of the things we can guarantee is that we’ll make a right good fist of it.

“It’s my job to build a habit and instil a mentality within the training ground that filters out onto the pitch, if we do that, we’ll make a fist of it.

“You can go into any football club and have an ideal way of playing and what you want to do and force things on the players.

“The best thing to do is find the good attributes you’ve got within the group and try and bring them to the front as quick as you can and build from that platform.

“Every game we’ve got to try and deliver a performance, there’s a lot of work to do and a lot of things that need to happen to move forward.

“Everything is a habit, winning is a habit, losing is a habit, if you’ve got bad habits you’ll serve for them but if you’ve got strong habits they’ll come to the front and that’s what we need to change.”